ST. PETERSBURG, FLA.—Less than 24 hours after he was taken from Tropicana Field on a stretcher, Blue Jays pitcher J.A. Happ was back at the ballpark Wednesday recounting the frightening play in which he was struck on the head by a hard line drive.

“I just remember releasing the ball,” he said. “I don’t remember seeing it (come back), just an immediate loud ringing in my ear and then just pressure on my ear. I was on the ground and that was kind of it.”

Happ suffered a fractured bone in his skull behind his left ear, but no concussion. A CT scan found no damage to his brain. His lacerated ear required eight stitches and he also “tweaked” his right knee when he fell, but Happ said his head injuries are not considered serious or life-threatening.

Considering how the play looked and sounded in the immediate aftermath — Happ barely moving after what R.A. Dickey described as a sound akin to the crack of “another bat” as the ball hit his head — the left-hander’s fate could have been far worse.

“I feel very fortunate,” he said. “I would like to say, too, that the whole baseball community has been unbelievable with the messages I’m receiving, the things people are saying and all the prayers. I really think that helped.”

While in the ambulance on the way to the hospital, Happ, 30, called his mother, Sue, to assure her he was all right.

“They were holding the phone up to my ear for me. I told my mom I was OK and I told her to go ahead and call everybody. . . . She was definitely relieved and glad to hear my voice.”

Happ said it took him a few seconds to figure out what had happened, but he never lost consciousness and was coherent throughout.

“I felt a lot of pressure on my ear, that’s why I was holding it. I looked down and saw some blood on my hand, so I wasn’t sure. Obviously with the Brandon McCarthy injury last year, this type of thing is scary, you never know.”

Last September, McCarthy, then a pitcher with the Oakland A’s, was hit in the head by a sharp line drive on a near-identical play. McCarthy walked off the field of his own accord, but had to undergo emergency brain surgery the next day to repair a skull fracture, brain contusion and epidural hemorrhage.

While Happ said he can’t say he is “completely in the clear,” tests on his brain, neck and spine have all come back clear.

“So I don’t think there’s a ton of concern. Obviously, if the symptoms change, I need to let them know, but I think they’re pretty confident that things will be fine.”

As was the case following McCarthy’s injury, the incident involving Happ has reignited the debate over whether major-league pitchers should wear some form of head protection. Major League Baseball is actively testing various designs of padded caps, but no product has yet satisfied the league’s testing criteria.

Happ admitted he hasn’t yet given the idea much thought.

“I think it would be difficult to find a (protective) hat that fits properly,” he said. “But I’m sure it could be done in this day and age.”

Happ left the hospital on crutches and was walking with a noticeable limp Wednesday, but doctors diagnosed his knee injury as a sprain and told him he will not require surgery.

Happ said he doesn’t anticipate the fear of getting hit again will prevent him from returning to the mound.

“I think you’ve just got to get back out there and try to forget about it,” he said, adding he hopes to return as soon as possible.

Happ said he may end up staying in Tampa for the next few days while the team heads to Boston because doctors do not want him flying right away.

Right-hander Edgar Gonzalez was called up from Triple-A Buffalo to bolster the Jays’ bullpen, which threw 7.2 innings on Tuesday. Manager John Gibbons has not yet named Happ’s replacement in the starting rotation.

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